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It was a big Saturday for New Paltz Hawk's sports history as Hawks superstar Brianna Fitzgerald became the program’s all-time leading scorer in the SUNYAC title game against No.3 Geneseo in a 52-47 victory that saw her finish with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds along with two steals and two blocks.
I had the honor to interview the Hawks legend back in October which became my most-played podcast episode of all time, which you guys should all check out:
Fitzgerald’s magical moment came off a routine pull-up transition three that she’s hit countless times throughout her illustrious career off the dime from her teammate Julia Sabatino and a hockey assist from Jenny Walton.
Both Walton (13 points) and Sabatino (10 points) each chipped in double figures with Fitzgerald's 16 to combine for 39 of the Hawks 52 points from their "Big Three".
This comes after a dominant performance against No.5 Oswego in which Fitzgerald recorded a career-high 35 points on 13-of-28 from the field (46%) and 3-of-4 from downtown (75%).
Fitzgerald’s brilliance doesn’t end there, as she showed why she is irrepressible on both ends of the court, grabbing 12 rebounds, five assists, swiping away with five steals, and two blocks in their 55-53 semi-final victory over the Oswego Lakers.
Fitzgerald continues to be a tremendous teammate, game changer, and culture shifter who has completely elevated the program since her arrival as a freshman in 2020 out of Island Trees High School where she also was a 1,000-point scorer.
Fitzgerald finished with career-highs this season in total points (506), points per game (19.5), total assists (91), assists per game (3.5), minutes per game (33.0) free throw percentage (78.5%), rebounds per game (8.0), along with total blocks (37) and steals (84).
Fitzgerald now has 1,341 total career points along with a career average of 16.4 points per game. She’s well accomplished throughout her career as the reigning 2023 SUNYAC Women’s Basketball Player of the Year along with being a perennial All-SUNYAC and All-American selection.
Fitzgerald was named to the All-Tournament team as well alongside her teammates in Sabatino and Walton. She was also named the SUNYAC Tournament MVP for the second time in her prestigious collegiate career.
The Hawks now look forward to the NCAA this coming Friday as they'll play Penn St. Harrisburg 7:30PM Eastern Time at the Hawk Center.
With Fitzgerald at the helm as their go-to player and leader, they’ll be able to compete with whoever is in front of them.
Congrats to the greatest scorer in Hawks history!